Greatest Gift of All
by Snowy Flanks
Summary: It really wasn't Twilight fault. How was she supposed to know that the creature dressed in red riding a flying vehicle pulled by horned beasts was not on his way to hurt Fluttershy. How was she supposed to know that he spent his time spreading joy to everybody he meets? How was she supposed to know that Celestia would make her help him do his mission after she almost doomed it with


It really wasn't her fault; there she was drinking a nice cup of tea with Fluttershy talking about her job while Fluttershy was telling her that she had a special case coming soon. Fluttershy excused herself when she heard one of her bird friends calling to her from inside her cabin. Twilight looked up to see how Rainbow Dash was doing with the clouds, when a dark form appeared against the setting sun. Twilight was really excited when she saw the chariot being pulled through the sky, it had to have been Princess Celestia coming for a surprise visit but as it got closer she could tell that it wasn't Celestia at all. Instead of a majestic chariot being pulled by regal while stallions, there was a large open top vehicle with land runners instead of wheels. Whatever was pulling it was not a pegasus, these creatures had large horns growing from their heads and gangly limbs that seemed to being running in mid air, oddly Twilight couldn't even see their wings. Whatever this was, it was headed straight for her at a very fast speed. Twilight was getting worried and when she saw that the rider was very large and covered in blood red fur and holding a whip she reacted before she could even think and sent as powerful a blast as she could right at the vehicle hoping to stop it before it got her. The vehicle dropped and crashed into the snow covered ground kicked up a mound of snowy dirt and tossing the rider and the creatures pulling his vehicle up and around like rag dolls before stopping in the upturned dirt roughly. A bundle flew from the vehicle and landed on the table. Fluttershy ran from her cabin and looked around in shock.

"Twilight what happened?"

Twilight panted "I don't know exactly what happened, this creature was coming at me and I just reacted before he could have a chance to hurt"

Fluttershy looked at the flying vehicle "Mr. Klaas! are you OK?"

The creature in red began to stir "Ms. Fluttershy I'm glad you're here, Dart has a fever I need you to check him"

Klaas stood up and shook his coat down showing himself to be a Bighorn sheep "Wait what happened to all of my reindeer? Dash, Blitz, all of you guys are you OK?"

The reindeer groaned and tried to stand up but none managed to last more then a few seconds. Twilight just stood in shock while Fluttershy was quick to fly over and start to examine all of them for broken bones"

"Wait a second do you know this guy Fluttershy?" asked Twilight.

"Oh yes, this is Mr. Klaas, he lives far away deep in the crystal mountains. I met him one day when one of his reindeer hurt her hoof. I managed to patch her up and ever since then Klaas has been coming to me when one of his reindeer gets hurt. Apparently they are very skittish and finding somepony who can take care of them was a relief to him" said Fluttershy not even taking her glance away from the deer as she gently prodded them with her hoof.

Klaas walked over to Fluttershy with a look of worry on his face "Are they badly hurt?"

"A little bruised but they should be OK with a weeks rest."

"A weeks rest? But that can't be, they have to be ready to make the big trip in two days, isn't there anything you can do?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Klaas but any strenuous activity could cause permanent damage to them, they won't be able to fly for a while. Don't worry they can stay with me and I'll make sure they are well taken care off. Angel Bunny can help me"

"I'm glad they will live but without them to pull my sleigh I can't even get back to my home and I don't even want to think what will happen if I miss the deadline. I've got to do something please take care of them, I'll be back as soon as I can" said Klaas before dashing away much faster then he should have been able to.

Twilight tried to get Fluttershy's attention but the pegasus was so deeply focused on the reindeer that nothing Twilight did was able to get the pegasus' attention. Twilight just huffed and walked away, as she walked through the town square muttering under her breath about Klaas when she heard a note of glee.

"Klaas? I love that guy. Every year he visits me leaves me a present! Has he ever visited you Twilight? Ms. Shoeshine told me he only visits the most special of ponies. This year I hope he will give me something to find my cutie mark" said Scootaloo before zipping away on her scooter.

Twilight called out to her but she was gone before Twilight could catch her. Twilight sighed and ran to her library and began to do every time she had a problem, search through the shelves for information. Spike stopped dusting and stared at her.

"Whatcha doin?"

Twilight kept looking "Spike I need you to help me find anything you can on reindeer or a stallion name Klaas. He crashed into Fluttershy's house then ran away. I need to find out about him. He might be dangerous"

Spike looked confused. "How did he crash into her house?"

"He scared me and when I sent a stunning spell at him he fell from the sky. Fluttershy is looking after his reindeer and he ran of to do something. Now help me search" said Twilight.

Spike thought for a moment before shrugging at climbing up the ladder to look for a book. Less then a minute later he found what he was looking for.

"Twilight I found something! Reindeer come from far to the north, well beyond the crystal mountains" he shouted jumping from the ladder and running to her.

Twilight levitated the book out of his claws and looked at it. It was a book on the travels of Walk About and the creatures he discovered outside of Equestria. Opening to the right page she found the section Spike was talking about. According to the book, reindeer were a not intelligent breed of deer the lived in the coldest sections of The Polar Lands. They were herbivores like ponies and migrated across the lands in large herds to protect themselves from the monstrous welves. Lucky with their thick fur coats and sturdy antlers, they were able to protect themselves without the need of magic. Twilight looked for more information but nothing else of interest was written about them. The Polar Lands were like the Everfree forest. Weather was wild and uncontrolled and every animal had to fend for itself. It was so cold that Celestia sun only made occasional appearances.

Twilight was confused "It doesn't say here that they can fly! I think I need to send a message to Princess Celestia, if this Klaas character kidnaps reindeer and somehow makes them fly so they can pull his flying machine. The princess needs to now before he does that same thing to ponies. Spike was about to start taking a letter when he burped up a letter from the princess. He opened it and read aloud.

"My dearest student Twilight Sparkle. It has come to my attention that you recently came into contact with Mr. Svintera Klaas. He is a long time friend of mine and it is imperative that you help him with his mission. I will leave it to him to explain everything to you but do everything in your power to help him. He is returning to Ponyville as Spike is reading this to you. Gather your friends and meet him back at Fluttershy's home. I cannot stress the importance of what he does"

Spike dropped the letter as Twilight levitated him on to his back and ran out of the door. As she was running Pinkie pulled up beside her.

"Hi Twilight why are you running?"

"Pinkie we have to go to Fluttershy's house right away! Do you know where Rainbow Dash is?"

"I saw her napping on a cloud near the town square why do you want to know?" said Pinkie bouncing along beside her with a smile on her face.

Twilight didn't answer she just ran to the square and looked at the clouds. She saw a rainbow tail dangling over one of the clouds and not having time used her magic to pull Rainbow off the cloud.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" roared Rainbow Dash grumpily.

"Rainbow Dash I need you to go to Sweet Apple Acres and find Applejack. The princess needs us to do an important task and we are to meet at Fluttershy's house. Find her as fast as you can, and tell her what is happening." said Twilight in a rush.

Rainbow Dash stopped struggling "Don't worry Twilight I will find her in ten seconds flat!" before fly up and to the farm as fast as she could. With Rainbow Dash and Applejack taken care of Twilight turned and headed to Carousal Boutique to get Rarity while Pinkie went ahead to get things ready at Fluttershy's house. When Twilight arrived Rarity was sewing the hem on a dress so when Twilight surprised at her it was only thanks to Rarity's great skill that the sitching line remained straight despite the surprise.

"Can I help you with something, Darling?" asked Rarity with a hint of annoyance on her voice.

"Rarity I'm sorry but Celestia needs our help with something right away. We have to meet at Fluttershy's house" said Twilight in a hurry.

Rarity just nodded and followed Twilight out of the door. Rarity tried to find out what was happening but Twilight couldn't tell her since she herself didn't know. By the time the two mares had gone to Fluttershy's house, all the ponies were crowded around the crashed sleigh. As she walked up Twilight levitated the sleigh and set it right.

"While we are waiting, I think we should see if we can repair this sled for Klaas, he should be here very soon" said Twilight as she started to straighten out the runners. Pinkie some how pulled a hammer out of her mane and began to pound the sleigh while Rarity tried to repair the ripped seat cushion.

"As much as I appreciate the effort, there is no need to do that kind mares" said a voice.

The girls turned around to see Svintera smiling at them in his red fur coat. He wiggled his beard and the sleigh glowed before become as pristine as it could ever be. There was not a smudge or scratch anywhere and it shone with a jolly glow.

Twilight turned to Klaas "I just want to say I'm sorry for making your sleigh crash. I just really frightened me and I reacted without thinking"

"It's OK Twilight, I know you didn't mean to hurt anybody" said Klaas reassuringly.

Rainbow Dash moved right up and hover right in front of Svintera's face.

"Who are you?"

Svintera smiled a little "Why Rainbow Dash, My name is Svintera Klaas. I am glad all of you are here, I need to get back to my mission very soon"

Dash flew back a little and landed a little shocked. "How do you know my name? Are you a spy?"

"I know every pony's name Dash as well as all the griffins, diamond dogs, dragons, mules and every other sentient creature in the world. Let me tell you that gives me a big headache keeping all of those names in order, luckily I have a great support staff to help" said Klaas with a sigh.

"And what exactly does your support staff help you do Mr. Klaas?" asked Twilight pushing her way to the side of Rainbow Dash.

Klaas waved his hoof through his beard. "Well lets see the staff helps me plan my route and find the right targets, then every year I make a round the world trip and breaking into my targets homes or living quarters and give them a little something"

The ponies were all really shocked about Klaas' statement "WHAT!?" shouted Applejack and Twilight in unison "You break into ponies homes?"

"Of course I do, I've been doing it my whole working life" shrugged Klaas.

"And you don't feel that that is wrong? I should report you to the royal guards." said Applejack.

"Go ahead if you must, Princess Celestia is fully aware of what I do and she fully supports it" said Klaas.

"She does?" said Applejack and Rarity is shock.

"Of course, not just her but Gold Nails, Ios, Splitongue, Ecco, Gelert, Shala, all of the leaders of the nations around the world know of me and accept my actions. If they didn't I would never dream of entering their lands"

"Why would any of them allow you to break in to their citizens homes?" asked Rarity.

"Because if they didn't the world might end"

"What do ya mean?"

"You see up in the Polar Lands there is a weak point in the veil the separates this world from the dark realm. This dark realm contains the demons Tirek, Grogar and Alpha as well and dozens of other entities that want to escape and purge the world into eternal unceasing evil. The joy I spread each year when I give gifts to the children of the world is the only thing that can keep the weak point from breaking. The leaders of the world are aware of this, and they don't want the world to end, so they allow me to enter into their nations and distribute my gifts. It is one of the few things the in universally agreed on since nobody want to be the one who is the cause for the great cataclysm" said Klaas.

"Well then how come I never got a present? I don't remember ever getting anything from you" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Well I don't go into just any old home. I select only the mostly lonely of targets, the orphans, the abused, the lost souls that have nobody to turn to and nothing to bring them a smile to their faces. It is these victims misery that empower the demons. Most don't even know I visit them, they just find themselves with a little help this time of year"

"How come you don't give more gifts, wouldn't that make more joy and make the protection stronger?" asked Twilight.

"You would think that, but for some reason giving gifts to everybody negates the effect entirely" shrugged Klaas.

"So what do we do now?" asked Rainbow Dash flexing her arms.

"With the sleigh back in working order, I will need some ponies to take me and the sleigh back to my workshop where is can be fully repaired and I can pack for my big trip. Then in thirty hours I will need them to make the deliveries, we should be able to come back to Ponyville in about three days, then I'll have all year to get my reindeer back up the flying shape. You know any pony around here who can help me?"

"Don't worry Svintera, I'll get you there in ten seconds flat!" said Rainbow with a wink.

"I'm sorry Ms. Dash but that is not possible, my sleigh can only be pulled by creatures that are not naturally capable of flight, that's why I use reindeer"

"But that doesn't make any sense!" whined Rainbow and Twilight.

"It's a product of the magic I use. On the other hoof, any creature tethered to my sleigh will be able to fly so it gives them a chance to experience the thrill"

"Oh Oh pick me pick me!" said Pinkie jumping up and down.

"Well you definitely got enough joy and if you are free I would love it, but I need a full team of eight to pull the sleigh the full distance" said Klaas as Pinkie hugged him.

"I reckon I can help you as well, with the snow cover the farm can handle me not being there for a few days" said Applejack striding herself up to Pinkie.

After Twilight and Rarity agreed to join the team Klaas asked "Do you know if there are any other ponies that can come as well? They will need to leave right away"

Twilight, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash all nodded as they ran off to get their friends who they knew would be willing and able to pull the sleigh without being told the whole story. Meanwhile Applejack and Klaas went to go check on the reindeer.

Fluttershy had taken real good care of Klaas' reindeer while all this had been happening. Klaas found all of them lovingly bandaged and were gingerly walking around her backyard, while Fluttershy sang to them. When they saw Klaas they all rushed over to greet him and Klaas was glad to see all of them were able to trot again. He hugged them all as warmly as he could.

"So tell me Mr. Klaas where did you get that magnetic coat of yours, it looks like it is very comfortable" asked Rarity rubbing her hooves along one of the hems.

"It's made for the fur of the Scarson tree, it is very hard to find and harvest them but even the thinnest clothing made from it will keep you warm no matter how cold it might be, naturally I made by entire outfit out if it. And the red colour makes it easier to see me during the night"

"Imagine that a tree that has a fur coat!" laughed Rarity "Do you think you could get me some?" said Rarity flashing her eyelashes at him.

Klaas rubbed his beard a look up "I don't know Rarity, It has powerful magical properties and its extreme rarity makes is literally priceless"

Rarity looked dejected by smiled and settled down to have a cup of tea with Fluttershy while Klaas played with his reindeer.

A half an our later, a group of ponies came running towards them, Rainbow Dash was being followed by Minuette while Twilight was leading Lyra Heartstrings and Sweetie Drops and Cheerilee followed Pinkie Pie. Once all of the ponies had arrived, Klaas quickly told them who he was and what he did and asked if they could help him. Cheerilee gave him a hug and said she would be delight to help the rest of the ponies just nodded and agreed to pull the sleigh. Within five minutes, the sleigh was ready and all of the ponies were harnessed to the sleigh.

"OK ladies, I'm going to give the activation code that lets the sleigh fly, all you need to do is trot and we will fly. I'll steer you just need to keep running, and thank you all very much for doing this"

Klaas cracked his neck, pulled his hood over his head and cleared his throat "Now, Applejack! now, Pinkie Pie! now Sweetie Drops and Rarity! On, Lyra Heartstrings! on Cheerilee! on Minuette and Twilight! To the top of the tree! to the top of the clouds! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

The ladies began to run and the sleigh quickly flew into the sky. Klaas smiled as he saw the ponies gasp in amazement as Canterlot passed by beneath their hooves and the Crystal Mountains came in to view. They were travelling much faster then they should be able to and were so high up the not even pegasus were able to see them. The cold air blew across their manes and made Klaas' cape flutter behind him. Twilight waved as they passed the Crystal Empire but there was no way that anypony could have seen them. Through the great blizzard of the Frozen North they traveled but the snow did not even slow them down.

"Hey girls! Were about to leave Equestria and enter into The Northlands where the yates live just keep heading north we should arrive in a little while"

They travelled further and further north as the hours passed seeing more and more frozen land and seeing new creatures and beings pass beyond them, but they never tired or got cold.

"Hey Klaas!" came a voice form the line. "I know that we aren't getting cold, but what about you, that coat doesn't look like it offers much protection"

"The coat provides more then enough protection, and even if it didn't the sleigh itself never gets cold. That way the gifts won't freeze in the high altitude"

Finally, they began to descend on to a plain of ice. Below them scampered small creatures with white fur and long ears. When they landed, the ladies were quickly unharnessed and leading into an ice covered earthen building with smoke rising merrily from the roof.

"What happened to your reindeer boss?" asked one of the white creatures as Klaas hopped down from his sleigh.

"There was an unfortunate incident and the reindeer were injured. Luckily, for me these lovely ladies were kind enough to volunteer to help. I'll need you to get them ready for the big trip after you load up the sleigh. I just need to get my list and I'll meet you in the situation room" said Klaas quickly before splitting of down on of the hallways.

The ponies were very impressed but the whole project. All around them little creature crawled around. Jumping on the sleigh and buffing it while other checked for any damage it might have gotten during the trip. Rarity was about to levitate the sleek black harness hanging around her neck off, when on the creature quickly stopped her

"Please do not remove that miss, it's magic is protecting you from the temperature and weather of the area. If you remove it you will get very cold very quickly"

The rest of the ponies stopped fiddling with their collars and turn to the creature.

"Excuse me I don't mean to be rude but could you tell me who and what you are?" said Twilight

"Of course miss, I don't have a name and my species is called Lepins, we are the native creatures of this land. We work for Mr. Klaas"

"Why don't you have names? How do you tell each other apart" asked Lyra Heartstrings.

"We look different" said one of the creatures simply.

"But what do you call each other" said Cheerilee pulling up next to Lyra Heartstrings.

"Sir and Madam when we need to be formal, You when we are casual"

"Doesn't that make you feel bad?" asked Sweetie Drops.

"Not really no names means we are all equal, just one big family with no need to separate ourselves from each other" shrugged another white creature.

'What should we call you?" asked Pinkie as she hugged one of them.

"You can call us Friend if you want. Don't worry we are very good at knowing who you are talking too" said the creature as it wrapped it's ears around her.

The girls watched as the Lepins loaded the sleigh with a large sack and turned it around. Then they were gently lead down a hallway into a large room that's wall were a map. They saw the kingdom of Equestria and well as the rest of the lands. Cheerilee was excited to see the griffin kingdom of Methos while Twilight got to see Avalon were all the dragons lived. The ponies were excited to see lands they had never even heard of before. Klaas came in behind them and smiled.

"Impressive is it not? Twenty-three different kingdoms encompassing thirty-seven different species. And tonight we are going to visit all of them" said Klaas carrying a large scroll in his beard. "Based on the speed we were going when we came here it should take us twenty hours to do it all. A little slower then usual but that is understandable based on the situation. Now come on we've got to get you all suited up for the big trip. Appearances are important in my line of work"

"Won't our collars protect us enough, and I though we weren't supposed to be seen. Why should we dress up?" said Minuette looking away from the kingdom of Marsh.

"It is true that we won't be seen, but the outfit is made to inspire. The children will dream of us coming in the night with bells and holly. If we don't do it, it will shatter their dreams" said Klaas as he lead them down a different tunnel and Lepins ran under their legs carrying various tools and packages.

Over the next day the ponies were measured and fitted for their custom made reins. Each bell was carefully placed to maximize jingle for each pony. Then came the training. How to handle suddenly drafts, what to do if you are seen, what to say if a a guard stops you, how to bail out if there is a crash. It was much easier to teach the ponies since they were smart enough to learn rather then needing to be conditioned.

When everything was over, the group went back to the main room were the sleigh sat, it shone like a candle in the night and almost vibrated with energy. Instead of the plain reins, there were green ones lined with white crystals and accented with red trim. Each pony received a fluffy white saddle and a gleaming red hat both lined with holly. Then the Lepins handed each of them a colourful hard biscuit.

"Your in luck ladies, the Lepins managed to find some Froot, there is enough nourishment in these things to last your for two weeks, it should help with the trip. Don't worry they taste delicious" said Klaas as he ate his Froot whole enjoying the rich chocolate and noogy taste that filled his body.

Lyra Heartstrings cautiously nibbled on her then scarfed it down "Hey this tastes like Bon-Bon's Bon-Bons! With just a hint of lemongrass. How'd you get the recipe?"

"I didn't, they always taste like what ever you enjoy the most"

Sweetie Drops turned "Can you teach me how to makes these? I need to know!"

"I could Miss Drops, but they take five years to learn and another three to make, not mention getting the ingredients isn't very easy. They grow all over the world and have to be harvested just right. Not to mention they grow stale in about half an hour, you would be able to sell them" said Klaas with a note of shame in his voice.

Sweetie Drops look crestfallen but never the less smiled and ate the rest of her meal and turned back to be harnessed. With astonishing efficiency the rest of the ponies were harnessed back up to the sleigh and everything was ready to go. Klaas was about to give the call when one of the lepins jumped on the sleigh with him

"Boss! There is a problem, the navigation lights were too badly damaged in the crash to repair in time for the trip, without them the trip will be much more dangerous and I don't think the ladies will be able to make the full trip before the deadline.

The ponies gasped, they knew what would happen in joy wasn't spread across the world "Dontcha worry we can do it" said Applejack as the rest of the ponies nodded with conviction.

"We might be able to do it if we had another being to lead the team, but none of the reindeer are ready and the lepins all have to stay here. I don't know what we can do"

Suddenly a snore came from underneath Klaas' feet.

Looking down Klaas saw that Spike had somehow stowed away on the trip, he was surprised that Spike had managed to keep himself hidden all this time.

"SPIKE!" shouted Twilight. "What are you doing here?" Get down of the sleigh this instant! When we get back you are so grounded"

"Twilight if Spike got of this sleigh he would freeze in seconds, his cold blood wouldn't be able to keep him alive and his isn't old enough to have the natural protection that dragons get as they grow" said Klaas with a sigh.

"Fine he can stay of the sleigh but he is still in trouble" conceded Twilight.

"Actually it would be great help if he did lead the team. His body is naturally aerodynamic so he could go up front and create a slipstream. It might be just enough to make the deadline"

"I thought you said the sleigh couldn't be pulled by anything that can fly. Can't dragons fly?" said Minuette.

"Well technically that is true, but since Spike doesn't have his wings yet he will be able to pull the sleigh without any problems"

'But he can't pull the sleigh, he's just a baby" said Twilight.

"Twilight, if you can think of anything else we can do I would love to hear it" said Klaas with a sigh.

Twilight scrunched her nose and pondered for a while "Umm are you sure he will be fine?"

"As long as he is with me, there is nothing anywhere that can do him any harm, which goes for all of you. My magic is powerful tonight"

"What are you talking about?" said Spike awakening with a yawn.

"What I'm trying to say is Spike with your flame so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?" said Klaas with a slight song in his voice.

Spike was shocked and confused "Really? I can come with you?"

'Without you we won't be able to do it" replied Klaas with a sigh.

"I'll be glad to help you I heard what you do" answered Spike as he hopped off the sleigh.

Klaas quickly grabbed Spike before he landed and froze and pulled him back on to the sleigh.

"Your going to want to wait a moment honorable dragon Spike" said Klaas pulling him close to his fur so he could warm up.

One of the lepins hopped on the sleigh and handed Klaas a white collar lined with rubies and another Froot. Klaas slipped it on Spike and escorted Spike to the front of the team where he was skillfully hooked up the young dragon and gave him his Froot to eat. With one final check over to make sure everybody to lashed up tightly and the bag was resting on the seat behind him, Klaas gave out the call and the sleigh began to move through the skies once again. As they flew Spike occasionally blew out fire to light the way for the team.

"WHERE ARE WE GOING FIRST?" yelled Sweetie Drops

"There is no need to yell, we will all be able to hear each other perfectly though out the night"

Their first stop was slightly south to deal with the Savajor castle homes. Klaas and his team landed gentle on a building on the outcrop.

"OK this will be our first stop team. Just wait here and I will be back in a moment" said Klaas hopping down holding the bag with his beard"

"How are you going to get in?" asked Lyra Heartstrings.

"The same way Pinkie Pie does" said Klaas jumping down a crack in the building's roof.

Less then ten minutes later Klaas squeezed his way out from the crack with a big smile on his face.

"How did you fit in there?" asked Rarity is awe "and how come your suit isn't ruffled?"

"It's just my magic, I can't really explain it" said Klaas hopping back onto his sleigh.

"How come you jumped down with an empty sack?" said Cheerilee.

"The sack just has whatever I need when I open it. It makes packing a lot easier" said Klaas as they took off again and by the end of the hours all the orphans houses were taken care of.

"OK were done with this area lets see if we can find someplace a little warmer"

"What about the yate?" asked Minuette as the group traveled south.

"The yate don't have orphans they live in one big community"

They flew over burnt mountains and lakes of lava until they reached the principle city of Drakos in the land of the dragons.

"What on earth do you give to dragons?" asked Twilight.

"Mostly jewels, mithril or other shiny metals. Occasionally I find myself giving one an animal to eat" admitted Klaas.

"WHAT?" shouted the ponies and Spike.

"Hey, I have to serve all the beings of the world, some of them eat meat, I try not to judge" said Klaas with a shrug.

This time they landed in front of a cave in the side of the mountain and Klaas took his bag into to drop of the necessary package. Then they took off again, this continued for another twenty minutes as they flew to caves, trees, ruins and meadows leaving gifts for wandering baby dragons. The next nation was Methos, the griffin land where they were almost caught by a guard flock but thanks to a cloudbank they slipped by to drop of the gifts. All through the night they flew dropping off gifts to needy children. The ponies watched as Klaas moved with ease no matter where he was. Dropping off gifts in front of burrows or under rocks. Climbing up trees to tuck gifts into the leaf beds of the Naa, somehow landing on water so he could dive down to give gifts to the Seasa, After nine hours of running across the sky they were still going strong

"Good job ladies we are half an hour ahead of schedule" said Klaas to the cheers of the ponies as they enjoyed their trip.

Next, came the island of the warrior tribe of the Silka, since these people did not have parents all Klaas had to do was drop of a large quantity of materials so they could make and repair their weapons before they took of again. The whole process took less then five minutes.

"How are you all doing? You like the mission so far?"

"Flying is amazing" said Minuette looking down clouds as they ran to the next nation to deliver the presents.

"And you do this every year?" asked Twilight looking up at the stars which were clearer the ever

"For the last two hundred and thirty seven years I have, which means I only have another five hundred and sixty three years before I have to stop" said Klaas with a sigh.

"What do you mean?' asked Rarity

"Svintera Klaas isn't just my name, it is also my title. Each Svintera Klaas gets to serve for exactly eight hundred years, then a new one takes the position"

"And how does one get that job?" asked Applejack with a slight laugh

"An orphan is always chosen, when the time comes I will know where to go and I will take the orphan to my workshop, where they will be trained until they reached adult hood. Then I will retire and the new Klaas will gain all the knowledge of the previous generations. I myself was trained by a dragon and before her it was a baargog. Technically speaking I am Svintera Klaas the eighteenth"

"You kidnap them?" asked Sweetie Drops in shock

"Well they are orphans so you could say I adopt them, and the magic always picks the right being for the job, never had a misstep yet"

"But why an orphan?"

"No familial connections to the outside world; and frankly being Svintera Klaas is the greatest gift I can give to them. Not only do you get to spread joy for centuries, but you get to see the world and pal around with the leaders of the world. I have had the pleasure of playing checkers with Celestia and chess with the Broad Wings"

"Has a pony ever done it?"

"Yep, Klaas number six and eleven were both ponies"

"So you're two hundred and thirty seven years old?"

"Actually I'm two hundred and fifty eight years old"

"I bet that gives you a lot of time to make friends!" said Pinkie hopping along in the sky

"Not really, I spend most of my time at my workshop making stuff, talking with world leaders or checking my records for beings to give a gift to"

"I bet that gets lonely" said Pinkie sadly.

"It's better then my predecessor, she never got time to visit"

Rarity asked "Why?" but both Twilight and Cheerilee nodded sadly.

Klaas sighed "About seven hundred years ago there was a devastating war between the griffins, the dragons and the ponies, there were a lot of orphans made during the time."

"Oh" said Rarity.

"Do you like your job?" asked Sweetie Drops.

Klaas paused for a moment before answering "As much as I enjoy what I do, every year I hope I will never have to do it again"

'Why?" asked Spike.

"The demons that my mission binds are empowered by the misery of children who society has cast aside. The only way I could ever stop deliver gifts would be if there were no miserable children anywhere on the planet"

"That does seem like it would be wonderful. But if you quit what happens if the misery comes back, no one would be able to stop it"

"My job doesn't work like that, right now I have to visit tens of thousands of children every year, if I miss a year all that misery will overpower the barrier and release the demons. As the number of orphans go down there will be less misery and the barrier will remain strong. If there is a period with no misery, my job will stop. If the misery comes back it will take a little while before there is enough collective misery to weaken the barrier. A new Svintera Klaas will be elected by magic itself, and there will be enough time to learn how to perform the mission before the barrier gets too weak"

The night went on passing through more and more nations. They visited every kind of home imaginable from work houses to children hiding under benches in the park. The ponies wanted to help them but Klaas told her that they were only allowed to leave gifts anything else was against the rules and went against his magic. Finally the only nation left to be visited was Equestria. The ponies were very glad to be able to see their homeland again and were beginning to show signs of being tired. They were right on schedule and the moon was low in the sky. The stopped at the Vanhoover foals home and dropped of Sweet pies and squishy dragon dolls, then to Cloudsdale to leave planes and parkas for the tired little pegasi, through the Baltimare foal's hospital across the Hayseed Swamps to find children who were hiding from adults, and into all the other smaller cites near them. Las Pegasus and Appleloosa were next. No foal was forgotten. Finally only Ponyville was left and only one orphan in the entire world was left ungifted. They quietly landed in Sweet Apple Acres and Klaas crept into the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse, there shivering in the slight cold was the last one. Klaas laid a thick woolly blanket on her and left without making a sound. They flew for mere minutes before the sunrise into the sky and ponies began to stir.

Klaas and group landed in front of Fluttershy's cabin, Fluttershy was outside feeding her animals friends and made sure to wave. All the ponies were quickly untethered and the reins were stored away. Klaas pushed the sleigh beside Fluttershy's home and everypony went inside for breakfast.

"Now that everything has finished I want to thank you all very much for everything you did for me, without all of your help I never would have been able to deliver the presents. All of you saved the world"

"I'm sure I speak for everypony when I say it was a pleasure to help" said Twilight as the rest of the ponies nodded"

"Well as a means of thanks I want to give you all a gift from my sack"

The ponies shook their heads "No there is no need, you don't have to reward us, it was our duty" said Rarity.

"I know you did not expect to be a reward, which is why I want to give you something, please it will help me" pleaded Klaas.

It took a little while but Klaas was able to convince them to let him give all of them a gift.

Klaas smiled a pulled out a bolt of red cloth "Rarity I remember how much you liked my coat so I'm going to give you some of my supply, use it how you will" handing it over to the designer pony.

Nest he pulled out a cracked book and handed it over to Twilight "Twilight this is the book of Hosa, containing the stories of a civilization that has long since disappeared. It was thought to have been destroyed a very long time ago, so this might be the only copy left in existence, guard it well" Twilight nodded with tears in her eyes.

Next came a large wood cask barrel which was given to Sweetie Drops, "I'm sorry I couldn't give you any Froot, but this barrel contains the fruit of the Maru tree, it is this fruit that allows you to taste what you most enjoy when you eat it, there is enough here for a thousand servings I am sorry I could not give more" Sweetie Drops just nodded and began planning how she would use her gift.

Klaas turned to Lyra Heartstrings and handed her a box "This book contains a device known as a hoof augmentation natural dexterous system, it allows your hooves to move multiple phalanges on order to grasp objects without then needs of magic. I should warn you they are delicate so don't use them to strike too hard" Lyra Heartstrings was grinning so much her jaw almost dislocated as she hugged her present.

Klaas handed Applejack and empty mason jar and she looked real disappointed before Klaas explained. "This is a jar of plenty, it will be able to hold approximately 38 liters of any liquid you could pour into it and it will preserve it perfectly. You could literally use this jar so scoop lava out of a volcano and it would remain in perfect shape. When you want to empty it just pour out the liquid when you want to fill it just pour it in. the jar will never break, warp, become dirty, or diminish in any way" After that Applejack just smiled and thought out all the cider or zap apple jam the jar could hold without risking spoilage.

Next came a silver pocket watch which was handed to Minuette "This watch will always keep perfect time no matter where you are in the world. It can celebrate itself automatically when you enter a different time zone and can never be lost. But the real benefit of this watch is the button on the top, when you press it you will be able to slow down your perception of time. In other words when you press the button you will be able to move and react much faster then you are usually able to do, but it takes a lot of power so you need to let it recharge for a few months between uses" Minuette took the watch reverently.

Klaas handed Pinkie a bag of balloons "Pinkie these balloons are made with Gumgum sap, no matter how much you poke them with sharp objects or unicorn horns they will never pop. The can be expanded to about the size of a beach ball and are easy to deflate, even better they are connected to you so if they somehow float away they will drift back to you in time" Pinkie was excited and gave Klaas a big hug before blowing up one of them and tying a sting around her hoof.

"For you Spike I have a real special gift" handed him a roll of parchment "My sources tell me that a while ago you were trying to find out who your parents are. I'm sorry that the dragons you meet turned out to be such jerks but I hope this will help you. What you see before you is your line of blood, tracing your draconic heritage all the way back to Ios herself. Unfortunately it is written in draconic runes so you will need to find someone who can read them to you, but I will tell you this. Your mother's name is Aaster and your father was called Nozdor" Spike burst into tears and hugged the scroll as Twilight comforted him.

Klaas pulled out a burlap sack and handed into to Fluttershy. "I know you didn't come on the trip bout you took care of my reindeer and for that I am very grateful. This bag contains the softest straw you will ever find, It is softer then a cloud but as strong as a stone. I know you won't want to use to for yourself so I suggest you use it to make the nest for your animal friends, even a single strand in a nest will triple it's quality" Fluttershy blushed and took the bag without saying anything.

"And lastly but not least my gift for Cheerilee. My gift for you is not found in a box or in my bag, it is already with you. When I leave the memories of our travels will being to fade from your minds" The ponies gasped "This is an aspect of the magic I use and is necessary for it is to protect my identity and your own minds. There is a wide world out there and not everyone can handle it. To you Cheerilee I give you that knowledge; you will retain your memories of what you have seen. While the rest of the ponies will only know they did a great service and saw wonderful things, you will be able to recall all that you have seen and done, the whole world will remain in your mind. I only ask that you do not tell others because they will not be able to remember it" Cheerilee looked very shocked but in her eyes Klaas could see that she was very happy.

With the final gifts of the night given and the goodbyes said the ponies began to leave, as promised they forgot all that they had seen but still remembered the feeling a joy that had filled their minds during the night. The feeling of flying still resided in the hearts, and they knew that what ever they did, it was a great service and they had met a very kind stallion.

Klaas remained in Fluttershy's cabin for the remainder of the week. He looked after his reindeer and help Fluttershy with her animals. Since she had not gone on the trip she was able to remember to Klaas was and what he did, but like Cheerilee she kept it to herself. Finally the reindeer were ready and the sleigh brought back out, Klaas gave one finally call and the sleigh disappeared into the night, ready to start the task of preparing for next year. As one final gift to the town that had been so kind and generous to him Klaas used the last of his magic to spread the most thick and rich feeling of joy he could all over the town. For weeks the ponies would all feel like they were being hugged by loved ones, they would smile all the time and would know that through thick and through thin the could count on their friends to help all of them.


End file.
